Button-hole attachment for sewing-machines



(N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

D. MILLS. BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT POR SEWING MACHINES.

o ep. S'

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

D. MILLS. BUTTON EDLE ATTAGHMENT PoR SEWING MACHINES.

N0. 424,8014m J Pmngted Apr. 1; 1890.

Mmm/WI@ UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL MILLS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THF. BARRED END BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT COM- PANY, OFOAMDEN, NElV JERSEY.

BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,804, dated April 1,1890.

Application lecl March 30, 1887. Renewed July Z7, 1889. Serial No.318.902. (No model.)

T0 all whom. t may concern:

Be it known that I, 'DANIEL MILLS, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Button-Hole-Sewing Mechanism, of which the `following isa specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements .in the button-hole-feedmechanisms for sewing-machines for which I have obtained Letters Patentof the United States, and more particularly the mechanism for whichLetters Patent No. 305,62l were granted to me September 23, 1884:.

The main object of my invention is to simplify the construction of themechanism and reduce the number of parts without detracting from itsefficiency for stitching the sides and barring the ends of thebutton-hole.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side View of my improvedbutton-hole mechanism constructed, like my said patented machine, in theform of an attachment to be detachably applied to the bed .of asewingmachine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan Viewof part of the mechanism with the cover-plate removed. Fig. l is asectional plan view on the line l 2, Fig. 7, with the operating-leversand walls of the case removed. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional plan on theline 4, Fig. 7. Fig. G is a sectional plan view on the line 5 G, Fig. 7.Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section on the line 7 S, Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is asectional view on the line 9 l0, Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a similar view, butshowing the operating parts in another position. Fig. lO is a sectionalView on the line ll l2, Fig. 5; and Fig. ll is an inverted plan view ofthe outer end of the attachment, and showing the friction devices forvibrating the slide.

The base-plate A of the attachment has on its under side a dovetailedguide-piece c, which is adapted to be fitted to the groove of thethroat-plate of the sewing-machine bed. In Fig. l a portion of thesewing-machine head and needle-bar' are shown in dotted lines.

All the operative parts of the button-hole mechanism receive motion fromthe needlebai', a pin on the latter beingadapted to a notch or jaws onthe end of the long arm of the operating-lever B. This lever is pivotedat l? to an upright A2 on the base-plate.

In my present mechanism, as in the patented one before referred to,there is pivoted to the base-plate a primary slide S, intermittentlyvibrated to an extent determined in this ease by a single pattern cam orformer for the formation of the sides and barred ends of the butten-hole. On this primary slide is mounted the secondary slide S',which carries the cloth-clamps K, and to which an intermittent feedmotion on the primary slide is imparted by the usual heart-shaped cam L.

I will now describe in detail the devices for imparting the desiredvibrating motion to the primary slide, the devices for limiting anddetermining its extent of movement, and the devices for intermittentlyrotating the cams.

On the lever B are two short arms b and Z22, one l1 for transmittingmotion to the primary slide, and the other b2 for transmitting motionVto the cams which control the feed movement of theV secondary slide andalso the extent of movement of the primary slide. The arm ZJ of thelever B enters with some free play between jaws on a slide C, guided onthe base-plate between the pivot-pin s of the primary slide and theupright A2 and a rib r on the base-plate. This slide-bar has a lateralyoke or arms with a central V-shaped projection c at one end and twoshoulders or projections c2 and c3 at the other end, Fig. 6. lVithin theopen space between these projections plays a tappet F, carried by andfree to turn on a pivot f on the lever D to an extent limited by'astop-pin d. This pivoted tappet has a tapering point f and two arms f 2and f3, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The lever D is pivoted ,at d. to thebase-plate, and at its opposite end from the tappet is connected by africtional device to the primary slide S, which is pivoted at s to thehase-plate. The frictional connection between the lever D and theprimary slide is illustrated more fully in Fie'. l0, and consists of apin d2 on the lever D, passing through an enlarged slot in the slide andthreaded at its upper end for the reception of an adjusting-nut fr. Thisnut bears on a spring w, which in turn bears IOO on a washer or disk w',resting on the slide. By thus making` a direct connection between thelever D and the primary slide and providing the simple frictionalconnection described,with its pressure-adj ustin g n ut alwaysaccessible, the mechanism is much simplified.

The operation of these devices will be more readily understood onreference to Figs. and 6. As represented in Fig. 5 the parts are aboutmidway of their movement, and the slide-bar C is supposed to be movingin the direction of its arrow, so that the V- shaped projection c',acting on the tappet F,

` is pushing the lever D over in the direction of the arrow, and thismotion is transmitted to the primary slide S, of course. Vhen theslide-bar C has reached the end of its movement, the parts Vwill be inthe positions shown by full lines in Fig. 6. Vhen the slide-bar C ismoved back in the directionof the arrow by means of the lever B, theprojection c3 will first strike the arm f3 of the tappet and turn it onits pivot on the lever D, so that when the slide-bar C makes its returnmovement in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, the V-shaped projectionc will, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6, strike the opposite sideof the tapering point of the tappet from that previously operated on,and therefore throw the lever D over in a direction contrary to thatshown in Fig. 5. By this means the reciprocating movement of theslide-bar is converted into an intermittently-vibrating movement of thelever D and of the primary slide S.

I will now describe the devices for imparting intermittent rotary motionto the cams upon the center post or pivot E. These cams are theheart-shaped cam L, for giving the feed movement to the secondary slide,and the pattern cam or former I, controlling the extent of movement ofthe primary slide. These cams are secured or formed together and carryat the top a worm-wheel H2, into which gears a worm H' on a shaft G,mounted in bearings in the wall of the case, and in a lug a on the underside of the cover-plate A', Fig. 3. To the outer end of this shaft issecured a ratchet-wheel H, which engages a spring-pawl 7L on thepawl-carrier g, turning on the shaft G, Figs. 8 and 9. A suitablelocking-pawl 7L prevents back movement of the ratchet-wheel. Thepawl-carrier g is connected by a link g to an arm B', mounted on thepivot-pin h and operated by the arm h2 of the lever B, which projectsand plays between two stops q q', the former or upper one beingadjustable, so that the extent of play of the arm b2, and consequentlythe feed movement, may be varied.

By the devices described the vibrating movement of the lever B isconverted, as will be readily understood, into an intermittent rotarymotion of the cams on the post or spindle E.

In order to prevent accidental back movements of the arm B', I combinetherewith a friction device Q, Fig. 2, preferably consisting of a pinpassing through a slot in the upright A2 and a spring and adj usting-nutquite similar to the frictional connection between the lever D andprimary slide S. I dispense with the second pattern-cam I of my previousmechanism and construct a single pattern cam or former I to act on boththe stop-levers J J for the adjustable stop T of the primary slide. Inthe drawings these levers J J are shown as of a somewhat different shapefrom those shown in the drawing of the. Patent No. 305,624, but withoutchange in operation or effect. In order, however, to simplify theconstruction of the parts and the adjustment of the stop T on the slideS, I arrange the levers J p J to project to one side instead of havingthem in a longitudinal line with the slides. I can thus simply cut an'angular slot t in the body of the slide S,

mount the stop T in this slot, and secure it adjustably by means of aset-screw t. By loosening this set-screw and moving the stop T toanother position in its slot the depth ofbight can be readily varied,asfound desirable. or former is of such a radius that when either lever JJ bears on that face the inner face of the jaw j' of that lever will beparallel with aline radiating from the center of the spindle E, so thatin forming the sides of the button-hole the inner lines thereof willalways be at the proper distance apart.

The devices through which the heart-shaped cam L transmits the feedmotion to the secondary slide S', carrying the cloth-clamp, aresubstantially the same in construction and operation as those describedand shown in my aforesaid patent, the only difference being that in thiscase I have shown the lever N as connected to the slide by a link a,Figs. 2 and '7, instead of by a. pin and slot. This lever N has, asbefore, an adjustable connection with the elbow-lever M, which is heldup to the cam by the radius-bar O through the curved connecting-link o.

To prevent the outer end of the primary slide from being raised by thepull of the sewing-machine needle off the base-plate, I screw into theunder side of the slide near its outer end set-screwspp, which passthrough curved slots in the base-plate and whose heads bear against theunder side of the said plate or recesses therein, Fig. 11.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of the primary slide of abutton-hole-sewing mechanism with a lever having a direct frictionalconnection with the slide and carrying a tappet, a slide-bar havingprojections to act on the tappet, and a lever to reciprocate theslide-bar, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the primary slide of a button-hole-sewingmechanism with a lever having a frictional connection with the slide andcarrying a three-armed tappet, and a reciprocating slide-bar having ayoke provided The larger face i of the pattern cam IOO IIO

at one end with a central V-shaped projection and at the other withshoulders to act on the tappet, substantially as set forth.- 3. Thecombination of the primary slide of a button -holesewing` machine,vibrating mechanism for said slide, a yielding connection between saidvibrating mechanism and the slide, a stop on the slide, a single patterncam or former, and a pair of levers actingon the stop and acted on bythe pattern-cam, the contact-faces of the two levers, which are acted onby the cam, being on opposite sides of the axis of the latter, allsubstantially as specified.

4. The combination of the primary slide of a button-hole-sewing' mechanism, and devices, substantially as set forth, for vibrating thesame, with a former or pattern cam, stop-levers proj ecting to one side,a slot in the primary slide, and a stop adjustably secured in the slot,all substantially as described.

5. The combination of the primary and secondary slides of abutton-hole-sewing mechansm, and devices, substantially as specified,for vibrating the primary slides, With cams controlling` the slides, anda Worm-Wheel and Worm-shaft having a paWl-and-ratchet-operatingmechanism, substantially as set forth.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specication in thepresence of two 3o subscribing Witnesses.

DANL. MILLS.v

Vitnesses:

DANL. MILLS, J r., HARRY SMITH.

